“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.“
Romans 8:12-13

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As a kid, I developed a slight terror at the prospect of swimming in the ocean. An avid reader, I delighted in learning about the many creatures that inhabit our world, and I developed a special fascination with ocean wildlife. One particularly deadly creature looks fairly innocuous at first glance: the Conus geographus, more popularly known as the geography cone, is a snail with an intricately patterned shell that is highly prized by shell collectors. It also happens to be highly venomous to humans, and there is no antidote.

Now imagine you were walking along the beach and recognized this snail washed up on the shore. Would you let your kids pick it up? Stick it in your pocket to take home? No! That creature is not something you want to mess with, no matter how cool it looks.

We all have something even more deadly lurking in our hearts. Too many of us fail to grasp the danger of allowing sin to linger in our lives. It doesn’t seem that bad; in fact, it often looks downright appealing. However, Romans 8:13 tells us that “if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” This side of Heaven, there will be many times when we find ourselves struggling against the desires of our old sinful nature. Although we still struggle with sin in this life, we are called to fight our sinful desires and put them to death through the power of the Spirit.

Sin is far deadlier than any creature we might find here on earth. If we aren’t on our guard and proactive in eliminating it, our sin will destroy us. The good news is that we are not called to fight against it on our own. Praise God that Christ has given us the power to be victorious through the Holy Spirit!

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Do you often think of sin as being dangerous in your own life?
  • What makes sin so deadly?
  • Are there any areas in your life where you need to put sin to death?

Church Reading Plan: Proverbs 29; 2 Thessalonians 3